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Have You Heard of “Gotouchi Characters”?
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By the JAPANESE LIFE LETTER Editorial Team
OUTLINE
  1. So Many “Gotouchi Characters” Across Japan
  2. Kumamon — Kumamoto Prefecture
  3. Hikonyan — Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture
  4. Chiba-kun — Chiba Prefecture
  5. Funassyi — Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture
  6. There Are Many More!

In Japan, every region has its own local mascot to boost hometown pride.

So Many “Gotouchi Characters” Across Japan

The word gotouchi (ご当地) means something like “local” or “specific to a place” in Japanese.

Gotouchi characters are mascots created to promote interest in a region and boost local pride.

Some represent entire prefectures, while others represent individual cities—or even specific towns or facilities.

Today, let’s take a look at some of the most famous and beloved ones!

Kumamon — Kumamoto Prefecture

Created by Kumamoto Prefecture in 2010, Kumamon is probably the most internationally recognized Japanese mascot.

In fact, in 2012, The Wall Street Journal even ran a story about him!

Fun fact:
In the English version of the movie Ted (2012), the character John says,

“I wish I’d just gotten a Teddy Ruxpin.”
But in the Japanese dub, the line was changed to:
“I wish I’d gotten a Kumamon.”

Hikonyan — Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture

Hikonyan was created in 2006 to promote Hikone Castle (Hikone-jō) and quickly became the city’s official mascot.

If you visit Hikone Castle, you can actually meet Hikonyan almost every day!

Nicknamed “Mochi” for his cute, squishy appearance.

Chiba-kun — Chiba Prefecture

Originally designed for a 2010 sports event, Chiba-kun was later adopted as the official mascot of Chiba Prefecture in 2011 after the governor decided to keep him around.

Chiba-kun’s design is actually based on the shape of Chiba Prefecture itself!

Funassyi — Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture

Funassyi represents Funabashi City, famous for its pears—and fittingly, Funassyi is a pear fairy.

Funassyi's personality?
・First CD bought: Machine Head by Deep Purple
・Favorite music while driving: Aerosmith

Known for wild, hyperactive movements, Funassyi moves so much that the costume frequently breaks!

Although Funassyi used to appear on TV a lot, you don’t see much of them these days.
One reason? TV shoots were brutal—including incidents like suffering heatstroke during a shoot in Mexico, only to be forced to do a stunt involving being submerged in a lake the very next day.

There Are Many More!

Across Japan, communities are doing their best to promote their regions with unique mascots.

Many gotouchi characters are active on social media, have dedicated fan bases, and even have their own merchandise lines.

If you visit Japan, see if you can find a favorite mascot—you might just discover a new regional obsession!

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